4. Chess Studios - Chicago, IL

All you need to do is watch the 2008 music biopic Cadillac Records starring Beyoncé and Adrien Brody to get an understanding of just how important Chess Records and its accompanying studio were to defining the sound of blues and soul in the 1950s. In the 25 years that the company was active, Chess Studios produced era-defining hits by Etta James’s “At Last”, Muddy Waters’ “Rollin’ Stone”, and Bo Diddley’s “Bo Diddley”. Although the original location is home to the Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation now, the memories that brother duo Leonard and Phil Chess built on those grounds will forever be recognized for the swinging tunes that once blared through the walls.